Business survey: Support grows for higher minimum wage

Almost two-thirds of HR and hiring managers surveyed—64%—believe the minimum wage should be increased in their state, up from 62% last year.

A quarter of those surveyed in May and June by CareerBuilder.com said their organizations planned to hire minimum wage workers by the end of this year. The survey results were released Sept. 18.

Only 6% said they believe the federal $7.25 per hour minimum wage is fair. A strong majority—61%—said a fair minimum wage would be at least $10 per hour, up from 54% last year. Eleven percent said the minimum wage should be at least $15 per hour, up from 7% last year.

The full breakdown of what survey respondents said they consider a fair minimum wage:

$7.25 per hour: 6%

$8.00-$9.00 per hour: 24%

$10.00 per hour: 27%

$11.00-$14.00 per hour: 23%

$15.00 or more per hour: 11%

No set minimum wage: 9%

In a companion survey of workers who currently have a minimum wage job or have held one in the past, 65% said they couldn’t make ends meet, while 49% said they had to work more than one job to make ends meet.

Currently, 29 state minimum wages exceed the federal minimum, ranging from $7.50 per hour in Arkansas, Maine and New Mexico to $10.50 in the District of Columbia.

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